Hissy Biscuits
by cleaningthetractorwiththat
Summary: Survivors 2008


Caroline fished the teabag from her mug with a spoon, conscious to avoid dripping on the floor or on her white work skirt. As she headed towards the bin Dexter entered the kitchen brandishing his United mug. "Alright Dex?" Said Caroline concentrating on not missing the bin.

"Yeah." He replied unenthusiastically. He put down his mug and reached into the cupboard for the instant coffee. Caroline threw her spoon in the sink. "Looks like it's just you and me on this level."

Dexter flicked on the office kettle and turned round "What nobody else?"

Caroline nodded. "Well Vera came in, but her husband rang her and she went home about eleven."

Dexter shook his head "Ruddy place is deserted. Me and you holding the fort then?"

Caroline leant against the work top sipping her drink "What you working on?"

Dexter almost sneered. "The Watson account."

Caroline winced in shared pain. "That your second or third strychnine this afto then?"

Dexter smiled "Fourth!" Caroline gave him a weak consoling smile.

Dexter turned round and made a decision "Oh blow it!" He reached into the cupboard for a box of Jammie Dodgers and offered Caroline the half open packet.

"You must be desperate" said Caroline taking one. "You know, everybody knows they're Ian's, he'll go ape."

Dexter wrinkled his nose and nodded smiling "He's been known to check the CCTV!" Caroline laughed. Dexter bit into his biscuit "Blame it on the cleaners!" He said with a mouthful of biscuit winking.

Suddenly the lights went off and the kettle fizzled out of steam.

Dexter lifted up his mug of coffee granules and put it down annoyed. Caroline almost cheered "Ha Ha! Power cut, no more typing for me this afto."

Dexter crossed to the window and looked down at the street. "Seems to be just this side of the street."

Caroline playfully nudged him in the ribs "Looks like it's a Costa Lotta then!"

"Seven ruddy flights of stairs." Dexter cursed.

"What else you doing? Anyway you want to try it in these." Caroline took a sip of her drink and waved one of her legs at Dexter.

"Pink stilettos not my thing!" Dexter replied.

Caroline nodded and headed back to her desk. She called back from the corridor "And buy a new packet of biscuits!"

Dexter sighed rather frustrated and headed for the stairs.

The road outside was unusually quiet for four o'clock. A warm autumn breeze flittered at Dexter's tie as he dashed across the road.

A rather expensive black BMW Estate sat by the curb. Dexter shook his head. "Double yellows." He whistled. "Going to the compound." He said with a measure of glee to the car, having been on the end of the city's parking wardens himself. Anyway Beamer man could probably afford it.

Dexter handed over a tenner and his loyalty card. He picked up the carton of coffee 'only got to spend enough to buy a power boat now and I get a free cup,' he thought as he took a sip and regretted it.

The girl behind the counter handed him his card and his change. "It's hot." she pointed out. "Really!" he replied.

Dexter almost crossed the road back to the office when he remembered the biscuits. Ian was a pain in the ass. The BMW was parked outside the Spar shop. The back door was open and the back seat was filled to overflowing with groceries. A tin of beans dropped from the seat and rolled Dexter's way.

Janice. A happy faced woman in a green tabard with an eighties perm of red hair stood behind the till of the Spar. A well built black guy was feverishly emptying the chiller cabinet of drinks. As soon as he placed a bottle on the counter Janice scanned it and lobbed it in a rather full mini shopping trolley by the side of the counter.

Dexter wondered what was going on, but frankly he didn't really care or want to get involved. He proffered the tin of beans. "I think your car dropped this!"

"Thanks." The man barely stopped. He took the tin and threw it into the trolley.

Dexter shook his head in dismay and went to the till. He spotted the empty counter where the newspapers usually lay. "Not got the evening editions in yet then Janice?" Dexter said.

Janice looked up "Nah!" Dexter nodded as if he understood, but he wasn't sure that he did. He turned round looking for biscuits. The big bloke moved onto the Lucozade level, third from the bottom.

The Spar was a small convenience store. It stocked downright everything you could ever want, but Dexter had been in bigger petrol station kiosks. Now virtually all the racks were empty.

Dexter looked at Janice unbelievingly "You had rats?"

Janice shrugged her shoulders and nodded at the guy. Bought the lot she mouthed and wiggled her eyes indicating she thought the bloke was bonkers.

Dexter walked down the aisles partly as he didn't believe it and partly to try and catch the bloke out, to see if he missed anything. The biscuit shelf was very empty, very bitterly empty.

Towards the back Dexter found an untouched shelf in the cooler, microwave meals. He picked himself up a curry and walked back to the till.

The guy struggled to reach the last bottle of sports drink before standing up "That's the lot." he said handing over a gold credit card.

"Don't you want these mate?" Dexter joshed, holding up the micro meal.

The man shook his head in reply and concentrated on the chip and pin machine. "No point, no way of cooking it." Dexter just looked at Janice who shrugged her shoulders, looked back and completed the transaction.

The man left the shop. Dexter called after him "What you've got a BMW but not got a microwave?" The guy didn't reply he was already on the street pushing the heavy trolley towards his car.

Dexter put the box on the counter. "Just the curry please Janice." Ian will have to sing for his biscuits he thought.

The lights went out in the shop. "Has nobody put 50p in the meter?" Dexter cursed.

"On the house." Janice said handing Dexter the micro meal. "Think I'd better shut up shop before he comes back!"

Outside the man was stuffing the drinks on top of the pile of groceries he had already accumulated. Dexter joined him. "End of the world is it mate?" Scoffed Dexter playfully.

"Yeah, something like that." The man replied courteously but seriously as he intently loaded the last of the bottles into the back.

"Couldn't spare us a packet of Jammie Dodgers could you mate?"

The man reached inside and swiftly handed Dexter a packet. "Enjoy." he said before getting into the car and driving off.

Dexter stood for a moment and watched him go, sipping his coffee.


End file.
